Archives For April 2013

Late update but you know we do it in style. The trailer for Lobo released for Injustice: Gods Among Us and it showcases what variety The Main Man brings to the table. Between the long ranged attacks with hook-chain, to the shotgun he wields indiscriminately with ease. Lobo looks like he will make for a fierce opponent in trained hands. This video also brings a costume change for Batman–regaling us with the Flashpoint addition for him, which means that it’s Thomas Wayne instead of Bruce. Stay tuned for the DLC that is slated to be released May 7th.

After working with illustration for years, artist Jennifer Creech is starting to pave her way to her career. Doing freelance work, and understanding the industry while coming into her own. Jennifer is an artist to keep your eye on, with her great command over pencils, markers, digital work, and her fresh perspective in approaching new pieces. We had a chance to sit down and talk with her about her inspirations, and how she got to this point with her talents.

Q: So we have known each other for a while and I have a general idea about the art scene in Michigan, but do you think it could grow more? In your words, how do you explain the reason so many artists find success with the public while others miss the mark?

A: The art scene will never stop growing! Everyday there’s little kids out there like “HECKYES BATMAN”, and “Rembrandt FTW.” But more importantly, there’s the kids out there who look at the packaging on their cereal boxes, and signs on bus stops, and billboards, and ads on TV and t-shirts. If you think about it, art is EVERYTHING we see, interact with, and absorb in our lives; we will always have a need for more artists, and we’re always going to be producing more talented individuals to rise to the occasion. The only reason I think some people –don’t- make it in industry is that they give up. Yeah, this is a –really- competitive field, and a lot of people don’t have the heart to wake up every morning and grind the pavement/web and put pencil to paper and kick ass. They get complacent, they get lazy, they stop caring about bettering themselves– and they make room for those of us who won’t stop until we’re dead and buried.

Q: What’s your process and your way of thinking when approaching a new project?

A: It all starts with a plan. What do I need to achieve? How does it need to get done? Timeline? Do I have the supplies to do it? Once I have those answered, I do what feels like a million and three rough sketches, pick the ones I like, clean those up, pick my favorite and then…just obsess over it until it’s done. If I don’t like where it’s going about three quarters of the way through I’ll scrap it and start over.

Q: I know you started the Pin-Up Puzzle Jam, how is that going for you?

A: Great! I’m just about ready to package these bad boys (girls?) up and mail them off to my puzzle jam partner. I can’t wait to get the cards he’s been working on and start completing this project. It’s going to be amazing to see all the finished work once it’s published.

Q: Which mediums are you more comfortable with? And is there a medium that you would like to experiment with?

A: I absolutely adore markers and colored pencils. They’re definitely my go-to when I sit down to start a new piece. As far as experimentation, I absolutely can. not. paint. to save my life. It’s kind of sad. …I’d definitely like to work on my acrylic skills, which in turn would probably help with my digital paintings as well.

Q: Are there any current projects you are excited to work on?

A: Right now I’m just doing freelance work and anything that catches my eye. I’ve got a couple of t-shirts that I have designs for that I’d like to see finished up- but I’m also working on a couple of contest entries just to keep my mind sharp and my creative juices flowing.

For more information on Jennifer Creech follow her on Twitter and Facebook

So do you all remember when the Pikachu 3DSes started appearing in the wild on March 24th? I managed to catch one through diligence, timing and, well, mostly sheer luck that a Toys R Us worker was opening a box of them the moment I walked in. (Nintendo trolled the stores, only sending them 3-4 copies each!) There was also a game sale, thus I also acquired the freshly released Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity.

It was probably my best impulse buy, ever.

The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series has been going strong since 2005. This is the 9th installment and first of the series to launch on the 3DS. The addition of three-dimensional graphics to the game has given it some seriously stunning visuals. The colors are delightful– very easy on the eyes! The Pokemon are beautifully rendered and now show their reactions on the screen and not just via avatar square. But what really hooked me was the storyline. The dialogue is fresh and meaningful enough to appeal to all ages in the Pokemon fandom. It may even hit a little close to home when they start going on about the sorry state of the world and its Poke-citizens. For a kid’s game, it gets pretty deep.

You are magically transformed into a Pokemon (you can choose between Pikachu, Oshawatt, Snivy, Tepig and Axew) and, for reasons, you fall into the Pokemon world. But the despite the happy-go-lucky cuteness and colors, you soon discover that darkness lurks. It seems that the Pokemon world has become riddled with hostility, strife and deceit. Here is a direct quote from Gurdurr:

“This world we live in… it’s all about who’s doing the lying and who’s being lied to. Honest folks just look like fools. In a world like this, you’re the ones who get blamed for being tricked.”

Like I said. Deep, man. At least they are honest with the kids, right?

Frustrated by it all, your newly introduced bff (Oshawott for me) asks you to help him build “Paradise” so his friends can have a safe, peaceful place to live and play in. You’ll find he’s a very noble little fellow who probably won’t manage get on your nerves. You are introduced to other Pokemon (mostly 5th generation) who will join your cause and assist you in your adventures.

When you aren’t dungeon crawling for glory and prizes, the game has a sort of Animal Crossing feel to it, giving you a sense of pride as you slowly improve your Pokemon Paradise.

Gates to Infinity isn’t terribly difficult overall, but there are some noticeable challenges later on that you may find frustrating. There are extra dungeons that can be downloaded from Nintendo for a small fee, too. Multiplayer options are there, but pretty limited. You can team up with another player, but that person must have a copy of the game and be in the same place as you.

All in all, I have found the game to be engrossing, endearing and oddly entertaining. If you are a Pokemon fan, especially a Mystery Dungeon player, this is not a game you should miss. You will get your money’s worth and hours upon hours of mobile entertainment.

Ever since the PLAYSTATION conference a few months ago, everyone has been gnawing at the bit, trying to figure out when exactly Microsoft will be showing off their own console. However, with their usual flare it seems that Microsoft will be releasing more information, and an event on—May 21st at 10am PT. Of course this puts them right at crunch time and only 19 days before E3.

“On Tuesday May 21st, we’ll mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment. On that day, we’ll be holding a special press event on the Xbox campus and we invite you to join us via the live global stream that will be available on Xbox.com, Xbox LIVE and broadcast on Spike TV if you are in the US or Canada.

On that day, we’ll share our vision for Xbox, and give you a real taste of the future. Then, 19-days later at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, we’ll continue the conversation and showcase our full lineup of blockbuster games.

We are thrilled to pull back the curtain and reveal what we’ve been working on.”

Of course there is a high chance that at this event we will probably get to see a release date, hopefully for the holiday season. There are hopes that there will be an actual console present, and possibly some gameplay we can look forward to with this new system.

So we have the new look at the next Thor movie which is slated for release November 8th. It looks to have more action this time, or one could only hope–but we have our fingers crossed that it will be fantastic. Be sure to subscribe to the Youtube channel in the comment box below, and follow us on Facebook to stay up to date with our news.